Belt attachment device

ABSTRACT

Presented is a belt attachment on which may be mounted accessories that would normally be mounted in the waist belt. These can include hand cuffs, hand tools, radio, handgun holster, taser, meters, flashlights, and other items. The belt attachment has a passage for the waist belt, and a passage for attachment of the accessories, with the two passages perpendicular to each other. The belt attachment aids in minimizing wear of a user&#39;s shirt by moving belt mounted accessories away from the user&#39;s belt.

PRIORITY/CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/179,966, filed May 20, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention is in the field of clip on belt accessories, and more specifically for a clip which attaches to a waist belt accessories can be attached.

BACKGROUND

Police officers are required to wear a very sturdy leather duty belt on which is attached a number of tools for their job. These can include a holster which holds a handgun; cases for flashlights; clips of ammunition; baton; canister of pepper spray; handcuffs; possibly a taser; and possibly a radio. This results in a very heavy belt which is worn by the police officer, on which are located a number of belt accessories.

The problem is that some of these belt accessories extend up above the belt and rub against the officer's shirt. Some of these accessories are somewhat abrasive and quickly wear a hole in the officer's shirt. When this happens, the officer has to buy a new shirt, and that becomes expensive.

SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE

The purpose of the Abstract is to enable the public, and especially the scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection, the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The Abstract is neither intended to define the inventive concept(s) of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the inventive concept(s) in any way.

The invention is a device which re-positions these belt accessories so that they are slightly further away from the police officer's body, and therefore, reduce or eliminate the wear from these belt accessories on the officer's shirt. It also provides better access to these accessories. Besides police officers, others can benefit from the device. Anyone who carries items on a belt can use the device to provide better access to the accessories and to provide less friction on his or her clothing, such as electricians, linemen, technicians, and others.

The device is a belt attachment which attaches to a waist belt, such as the duty belt of a police officer. It may take a number of forms, such as generally rectangular, but may be round, oval or other shapes. It is planar, and a rectangular form is advantageous but not required. The clip body of the device defines a belt passage which is adjacent to the rear side of the device. The waist belt of the officer would go through the belt passage, thus securing the belt attachment on the duty belt. The clip body also has another passage which goes through the clip body at a right angle to the belt passage. This is called an accessory passage, and the mounting loop of accessories, such as a flashlight holder, would pass through this in a vertical manner, while the waist belt passes through the belt attachment in a horizontal manner. The accessory passage is on the front side of the device.

The belt passage and the accessory passage can be generally rectangular shape or they may be three sided slots with one side being open. This three sided slot form allows the belt attachment to be slid over the waist belt without the user having to take the waist belt off. Also, this allows the accessory passage to be available for the attachment loop of an accessory such as the flashlight holster. Each of these three sided passages can have a raised rim which serves as a detent for securing the belt attachment to the waist belt and for securing the belt accessory to the belt attachment. The two passages can also have a locking gate which can be closed after the belt or the mounting loop of the accessory is positioned in the passage. The gate can take the form of a hinged gate like a carabiner, or can take the form of a bar or rod which may be removed and then replaced such as by screws, thus locking the waist belt and the accessory mounting loop in place. The passage for the belt and accessories can also be closable so that the passages are closed on four sides. This can be by use of removable spacer blocks, or by the passage structure being built with the four sides permanently closed.

When assembled as described above, the top portion of an accessory such as a flashlight in the flashlight carrier is positioned at a further distance from the user's body, or at an angle that reduces the wear on the user's shirt.

The belt attachment includes a generally planar clip body, with the clip body having a top side, a bottom side, a front side, a rear side, a left side, and a right side. The clip body can also be split in half and be made of two pieces, with a front half and a back half making up the clip body. The clip body includes a belt passage adjacent to the rear side of the clip body, and an accessory passage adjacent to the front side of the clip body. The two passages are generally normal or perpendicular to each other. The belt passage is configured to surround a user's waist belt and enclose it within three or four sides of the belt passage. The accessory passage is made to provide a mounting structure for mounting accessories to the belt attachment, and indirectly for mounting the accessories on a user's waist belt.

The belt attachment can be a three sided slot with one side open for sliding the belt attachment over a waist belt. In the three sided slot version of the device, the belt passage is bounded on three sides by a belt passage rear panel, the rear side of the clip body and the belt passage top panel. The three sided slot version of the belt passage may include a movable locking bar attached to the belt clip body which allows the belt passage rear panel to be placed over a waist belt and which has the capability of closing behind the belt to lock the belt in place in the belt passage.

The accessory passage can be formed of an accessory top panel and an accessory front panel which forms two sides of the accessory passage, with the front side of the accessory body forming the third.

The accessory and belt passages can be formed using spacer blocks which are attached to the belt clip body, and a generally rectangular belt passage back panel and an accessory passage front panel attached to the left and right spacer blocks. Such spacer blocks are preferably mounted by screws, but other forms of attachment would also work, including the use of mortise and tenon joints to secure the spacer blocks to the belt clip body.

The clip body can be made of snap together parts, with the belt passage and accessory passage formed by a snap on panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front side of an embodiment of the belt attachment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear side of the embodiment of the belt attachment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the belt attachment in which the front side is wider than the rear side.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the belt attachment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the belt attachment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the belt attachment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

While the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the inventive concept(s) to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the inventive concept(s) as defined in the claims.

In the following description and in the figures, like elements are identified with like reference numerals. The use of “e.g.,” “etc,” and “or” indicates non-exclusive alternatives without limitation unless otherwise noted. The use of “including” means “including, but not limited to,” unless otherwise noted.

Shown in FIGS. 1-6 are several preferred embodiments of the invention. FIG. 1 shows a version of the invention in which the belt attachment of the invention is designated as 10. FIG. 1 shows a belt clip body 12 which has a top side 14 a bottom side 16 a front side 18 and a rear side 20. Shown is a left side 22 and a right side 24. In FIG. 1, the belt clip body 12 is shown as a generally rectangular structure with a front half 60 and a back half 62, but it is to be understood that the belt clip body 12 could take a number of different shapes and still perform its function. For instance, it could be a planar and circular piece, or could be oval or various dimensions of rectangles. To perform its function it must be planar, and it must have a belt passage 26 (shown in FIG. 2) and an accessory passage 28 on opposite sides of the belt clip body 12, oriented normal to each other.

Shown in FIG. 1 is an accessory passage 28 which is on the front side 18 of the belt clip body 12. The accessory passage 28 is made up of a first spacer block 46, a second spacer block 48 and an accessory passage front panel 56. This configuration defines a space which forms the accessory passage 28. This passage is provided so that a user's belt mounted accessories may be mounted on the front panel 56. This could include hand cuffs, taser holster, pepper spray holster, hand gun holster, flashlight holster, or other accessories. For use in areas other than law enforcement, the accessories which attach through the accessory passage 28 may include a tool pouch, a flashlight holder, a meter holster, or various other kinds of tools or tool carriers.

As noted above, the belt clip body 12 could be other shapes than square or rectangular, such as oval or round. The belt clip body 12 needs to be planar so that an accessory passage 28 is provided for attaching accessories to the belt attachment 10. It has been found that plastic is a good material for construction of the belt attachment 10. However, other materials would also be suitable, such as aluminum, or other metals. FIG. 2 shows the same embodiment of the belt attachment 10, showing the rear side 20 of the device with the belt passage 26 shown. The belt passage 26 is formed in this case by a third spacer block 50, a fourth spacer block 52, and a belt passage back panel 54. The third and fourth spacer blocks 50 and 52 are shown as being removable, and one would typically be removed if necessary to allow the fitting of the belt attachment 10 over a waist belt. In the case of use by police officers, the officer may be involved in physical altercations and would need to have the belt attachment securely attached to the belt, so that it can never come off in any kind of physical confrontation. The secure attachment of the third and fourth spacer blocks 50 and 52 would provide that. In other non-law enforcement applications of the belt attachment, the belt passage 26 could be a three sided structure, basically bounded by the rear side 20 of the belt clip body, the third spacer block 50 and the belt passage back panel 54. In such a less demanding application, the fourth spacer block 52 could be omitted, or could take the form of a ridge or tip which could be pressed over a belt to lock the belt attachment 10 in place.

FIG. 3 shows a version of the belt attachment in a similar orientation to that of FIG. 1. In FIG. 3, the belt clip body 12 is made of a front half 60 and a back half 62. The difference between FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 is that in FIG. 3, the front half 60 is wider than the back half 62. This allows for a wider accessory passage front panel 56, to accommodate wider belt accessories.

FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the belt clip 10. It has all of the essential features of the above described embodiment, but it may have some additional features. The device shown in FIG. 4 includes a belt clip body 12, which defines a belt passage 26 and an accessory passage 28. These two passages are shown as basically three sided slots, with the fourth side optionally formed by a spacer block. The belt passage 26 is bounded by the rear side 20 of the clip body, the belt passage top panel 40, and a belt passage rear panel 38. The fourth side of the belt passage is formed by a fourth spacer block 52, which is shown to be attached by screws 64 to the belt passage rear panel 38. In this particular case, the fourth spacer block 52 is also held in position by a number of mortise and tenon joints 66, which allow the fourth spacer block 52 to slide in and out of position in the belt clip body.

The three sided belt passage is formed of a belt passage top panel 40 and a belt passage rear panel 38.

Similarly, the accessory passage 28 is bounded by the front side of a clip body 12, and an accessory passage top panel 44, and the accessory passage front panel 42. The fourth side of the accessory passage 28 is blocked by the second spacer block 48, and fits in place with mortise and tenon joints 66. Screws 64 are shown as a way of securing the spacer blocks.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is structurally similar to that shown in FIG. 4, with the passages 26 and 28 formed of three side slots. The belt passage 26, and the accessory passage 28 are formed by a similar three sided structure or slot as shown in FIG. 4. The main difference shown in the version of FIG. 5 compared with FIG. 4 is that the mortise and tenon joints are not present. Spacer blocks 48 and 52 optionally close off the third side of the passages.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative preferred embodiment of the invention in which the belt passage 26 and the accessory passage 28 are formed by parts which snap together onto the clip belt body 12. Shown is a belt passage rear panel 38 and an accessory passage front panel 42 which attach to a belt passage top panel 40. The fourth spacer block 52 is formed by the snap together parts of the belt passage rear panel 38. The belt passage 28 is formed by identical structures as the belt passage 26, but it is oriented normal or perpendicular to the belt passage 26. 

1. A belt attachment for use with a waist belt, for mounting belt accessories to said waist belt, comprising: a generally planar clip body, with a top side, a bottom side, a front side, a rear side, a left side, and a right side; said clip body defining a belt passage adjacent to said rear side, with said belt passage configured for enclosing a waist belt of a user, so that said clip body may be attached to said waist belt; and said clip body further defining an accessory passage, oriented generally normal to the belt passage and adjacent to the front side of said clip body, for enclosing an attachment strap of a belt mounted accessory.
 2. The belt attachment of claim 1 in which said belt passage is a three sided slot, with one side open for sliding the belt attachment over a waist belt, said three sided slot bounded by a belt passage rear panel, a clip body rear side, and a belt passage top panel.
 3. The belt attachment of claim 2 which further includes a removable first locking bar attached to said belt clip body, which allows said belt passage rear panel to be placed over a waist belt and which closes behind said belt to secure said belt in said belt passage.
 4. The belt attachment of claim 1 with said accessory passage formed of an accessory top panel attached to said front side of said clip body, and an accessory passage front panel attached along a first edge to said accessory passage top panel, forming a three sided accessory passage, with said three sided accessory passage further comprising a removable passage closure block, to form a fourth side of said accessory passage, with said accessory passage configured for attachment of belt accessories.
 5. The belt attachment of claim 2 with said belt passage formed of a belt passage top panel attached to said rear side of said clip body, and a belt passage rear panel attached along a first edge to said belt passage top panel, forming a three sided belt passage, with said three sided belt passage further comprising a removable passage closure block, to form a fourth side of said belt passage, with said passage configured for attachment to a waist belt.
 6. A belt attachment for use with a waist belt, for mounting belt accessories to said waist belt, comprising: a generally rectangular belt clip body, with a top side, a bottom side, a front side, a rear side, a left side and a right side; said clip body defining a belt passage adjacent to said rear side, with said belt passage forming a three sided slot, with one side open for sliding the belt attachment over a waist belt, with said belt passage configured for enclosing a waist belt of a user, so that said clip body may be attached to said waist belt; said clip body further defining an accessory passage, with said accessory passage comprised of a three sided slot formed by a front side of said clip body, an accessory passage top panel attached to an edge of said clip body front side, and an accessory passage front panel attached to a side of said accessory passage top panel, with said accessory passage with said, with one side open for sliding the belt attachment over a waist belt, with said accessory passage oriented generally normal to the belt passage and adjacent to the front side, for enclosing an attachment strap of a belt mounted accessory; and a removable passage closure block forming a fourth side of said accessory passage, with said passage configured for attachment of belt accessories.
 7. The belt attachment of claim 6 which further comprises a removable passage closure block attached to form a fourth wall in said belt passage.
 8. The belt attachment of claim 1 in which said belt passage comprises a first and second spacer block attached to a rear side of said clip body adjacent to said top edge and said bottom edge, and further comprised of a belt passage back panel attached to said left and right spacer blocks, and forming said belt passage.
 9. The belt attachment of claim 1 in which said accessory passage comprises a third and fourth spacer block attached to a front side of said clip body adjacent to said top edge and said bottom edge, and further comprised of an accessory passage back panel attached to said third and forth spacer blocks, and forming said accessory passage.
 10. A belt attachment for use with a waist belt, for mounting belt accessories to said waist belt, comprising: a generally rectangular belt clip body made of a first body panel attached to a second body panel, with each of said body panels, with a top side, a bottom side, a front side, a rear side, a left side and a right side, with said first body panel rear side attached to said second body panel front side; a belt passage defined by said second body panel rear side, and a first and second spacer block attached to said second body panel rear side adjacent to said top edge and said bottom edge, and further comprised of a belt passage back panel attached to said left and right spacer blocks, forming said belt passage; and an accessory passage defined by said first body panel front side and a third and fourth spacer block attached to a front side of said first body panel adjacent to said right edge and said left edge, and further comprised of an accessory passage front panel attached to said third and forth spacer blocks, forming said accessory passage, with said accessory passage oriented normal to said belt passage. 